The One With The Dog Mom and The Hot Vet
by pineappurus
Summary: AU. Cosima is a crazy loving dog mom and Delphine is a crazy hot veterinarian. Cosima is also super gay. Mrs. S owns a grocery store and she and Kira rescue a dog. Dr. Leekie is a creepy old man. Krystal owns a chihuahua named Queen Kylie. Definitely a slow burn fic. Sarah and Felix make their appearance in Ch 6! (a.k.a Dog Mom AU)
1. The One Where Cosima Is A Dog Mom

**The One With The Dog Mom And The Hot Vet**

* * *

 **Summary:** AU. Where Cosima is a crazy dog mom and Delphine is a crazy hot french veterinarian.

 **Disclaimer:** Orphan Black is a wonderful show and none of its characters are mine.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The One Where Cosima Is A Dog Mom**

* * *

"Who's a good boy? Who s the cutest, cuddliest, goodest, _mmmff-!_ "

Cosima's words of adoration is muffled by her burying her face in Pancho's fluffy and soft fur. She loves her pup so much she could just munch on his snout. The four month old Golden Retriever/Chow-chow mix is wriggling and panting, trying to lick her face. Unfortunately, he is kept firmly in place by his owner's tight hug. Frustrated and unable to get a good lick at his owner's face, he starts barking, kicking and squirming mad.

Cosima lifts her head and laughs.

" _Mmhm!_ The bestest, best boy there is, huh?"

Pancho, seeing his opportunity, immediately seizes it and starts licking the woman's face, making sure to cover every inch of it in slobbery dog love, even the woman's glasses.

"Pancho, stop!"

She giggles and tries to wipe off her pup's drool.

Cosima loves moments like these - free time where she gets to cuddle and play with her pup, instead of having to constantly worry about her research work, deadlines, chores, and grocery shopping.

Well, Cosima definitely needs to worry more about chores and shopping. The woman has been living off of peanut butter, saltine crackers, instant spicy Korean noodles, pizza, and mountain dew. Her only regular healthy food choices were hard-boiled eggs, bananas, oats and the occasional convenience store salad. Her studio-style apartment would have been considered cool and artsy with a few avant-garde paintings on the walls, cozy bean bags and futon-esque, Japanese-style bed, if it wasn't littered with discarded clothing on the floor and food wrappers.

Cosima, however, prides herself in being a responsible dog owner. She is always able to better take care of Pancho than she did herself. She set up a special pen with wide enough space for him to run around in while she is away and clean enough that he wouldn't accidentally eat garbage or anything poisonous. She makes sure Pancho's litter box is always clean and that he had enough water before leaving to attend classes or go to work as a university research assistant to conduct hours-long experiments. Cosima has her two dog-sitters on speed-dial in case she needs them to look after Pancho for emergencies. She also only ever goes grocery shopping when Pancho runs out of dog food or litter box sand.

Yes, Cosima Niehaus is the perfect picture of a PhD student and dog mom combined. She was too lazy to fuss over her hair so she decided to wear it in dread locks at 17 years old (well, she also thinks it's cool), and she would choose takeout over having to cook a meal. But, she would go to and beyond the ends of the earth for her perfect little Pancho.

"Okay, Pancho, today is your lucky daaaay..."

Cosima sets the whizzing ball of energy down and gets up from the bean bag they were lazing down on. Her beloved fur baby jumps up and down the moment he's on the ground and wags his tail. His owner smiles at him, pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, turns around, and walks to the door. Pancho follows close behind. Cosima reaches out to one of the hooks attached to the door and takes Pancho s leash.

"Because today is one of those rare days where I get to take you out for a walk!"

As if a switch is activated inside Pancho's mind, he starts running around Cosima's legs in excitement, knowing exactly what the leash meant: outside adventures with his favorite human!

* * *

Cosima pops in her earbuds with one hand and holds firmly on Pancho's leash with the other. The fluffy energy monster excitedly tugs at her and tries to pull them towards the direction of the nearby dog park. Cosima laughs and the opening beats of Water Park Remix ripples through her body and she instinctively moves her shoulders and hips to the rhythm. The tugging on the leash grows stronger and the sound of Pancho barking filters through the music.

"Alright, baby boy! We re going! We re going!"

They both head on towards the dog park.

* * *

 **Author s Note:** Will add more chapters. For now, I m just trying to paint a complete picture of the universe. Chapter 2 is almost done. :)

Pancho is inspired from real-life Pancho, my friend's golden retriever/chow-chow mix.


	2. The One Where Delphine Is A Hot Vet

**Chapter 2: The One Where Delphine Is A Hot Vet**

* * *

"So, Babu is a mixed breed and a rescue?"

Delphine slowly reaches out a hand for dog on the table to sniff, introducing herself, then ever so gently rubs the back of his ear. Babu, her latest patient, is suffering a bad case of mange. The poor boy has it all over his back, his joints, and on his forehead. His white and brown coat is barely noticeable. The dog is also obviously malnourished. He was brought in by an older woman, probably irish judging by her accent, and an eight year old girl. They were in the emergency room where the dog is connected to an IV.

"Yes. Our neighbors recently moved out. We were surprised to hear howling earlier. The poor boy was hungry, thirsty, and crying when we found him. He was tied to his dog house in the back yard."

The irish woman answers, looking at the dog with sadness and concern.

"They left him there. They're not nice people."

The child almost whispers, upset that anyone would leave a poor dog like that, but soothingly rubbing the dog's torso. Delphine tucks a blonde curly lock behind her ear, bends down a little with her hands on her knees so she could address the child at eye-level.

" _Oui, cherie._ They are not good people. Thank you for bringing him here."

The doctor smiles at the child and puts a hand on her head. She then looks at the older woman and the older woman smiles back at her.

"Come on now, chicken. Let s go home. We'll come back to visit Babu again and we'll take him home when he's all better."

The older woman tells the child and the child nods in response. The two say their goodbyes and take their leave, but not until they both give the rescue dog a few loving pats and a boop to the nose.

Delphine walks them out of her clinic, nods to the older woman and waves them good bye. The french doctor was familiar with them because she has seen them around the neighborhood her clinic was in, the few times she could walk out to grab lunch or when she would take a quick jog at the nearest park. She'd learned that the woman was called Mrs. S. and the child was Kira, her granddaughter.

Delphine turns to her assistant at the lobby desk behind her.

"Gracie, do we have any more patients waiting?"

Her assistant had fiery curly red hair that was a contrast to the meek and innocent air about her. But, the blonde believes that there is more under the surface. Gracie has only been with her for a few months but the redhead was hardworking and kind to all the animals and made friends with most of her clients. She wears a scrubs uniform because she also doubles as a nurse at the clinic.

"No, Dr. Cormier. There aren't any. Although, Dr. Leekie did call to see if you wanted to have dinner..?"

Gracie's lip twitches up at the end of that statement and ends it as a question at her boss. Delphine gives her and eye roll and a bemused scoff.

"Ugh. That creepy old man has been like that since I was his student in Vet-Med school."

Her assistant chuckles a bit and she starts to take off her lab coat. She heads into her office and Gracie follows.

Delphine's office is a small space but it was designed to look and feel spacious. The walls are white and shades of gray, with one painting hung on each wall and an indoor plant situated at the corner. Her desk is occupied by a computer, a calendar, memo pad, a prescription pad, and a mug of different kinds of pens. A small bathroom meant for her use only is located at the back.

"Just keep telling him I'm busy and I don't have time for dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Or him."

Gracie does not bother hiding her giggle at her boss's disgust at Dr. Leekie.

"Of course, don t tell him I said that-" Delphine grabs the gym bag she keeps in her office as she tries to clarify her statement

"Yes, Dr. Cormier. Noted."

Gracie cuts her off and the french doctor turns to her and gives her a genuine smile.

"You are a great assistant."

Gracie returns the smile with one of her one.

"Thank you, Ma'am. And while you're out jogging, I ll hold the fort down for you, call you if there s any emergency and make sure the groomers do their job."

Delphine touches Gracie's arm as a show of gratitude.

"I'll be back in a few."

With that, the doctor shoulders her gym bag and heads to her bathroom to change.

* * *

Delphine jogs at a leisurely pace around the dog park, unable to resist smiling at some of the cute and furry pets she sees. She is wearing a gray sports bra with matching gray leggings and black and white runners as her running outfit. The park is wide enough for the residents of the neighborhood to enjoy, with the grass always green and kept. There is only a few people there this afternoon.

"Heeey, Dr. Delphine!"

Krystal Goderitch, the ditzy but funny blonde calls out to the french woman. Krystal is one of her regular clients at the vet clinic, just happens to also be jogging and walking her fabulous chihuahua named Queen Kylie who is wearing matching pink doggie wrist bands on all four legs. She looks very much like Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde, out for a jog.

" _Bonjour_ , Krystal."

Delphine says, catching her breath. She turns around and slows her jog until she is walking side by side with the other blonde. She bends down to greet the chihuahua with a pet on the head.

"Oh, and _bonjour_ to you, too, Queen Kylie."

"You look like... pretty hot today, Doc. Like, you have a pretty rockin' bod... like, mine."

Krystal eyes the doctor from head to toe with her lips pursed then nods her approval. Delphine laughs with her hand on her chest

"Oh, Krystal, if you weren't so straight, I'd think you were making a pass at me."

Krystal also laughs at that.

"I know, right? Anyways-"

Krystal is cut off by Delphine's phone ringing. The doctor signals for Krystal to give her a moment, raising her hand while answering her phone. The ditzy blonde tells her that she was going anyway, and waves goodbye at Delphine. Krystal then carries Queen Kylie and makes a waving motion with the dog's paw. Delphine smiles and waves back.

" _Oui?_ Is there something wrong?"

Gracie's voice comes through the speakers.

"Doctor Cormier, we have a four month old golden retriever/chow-chow puppy who has diarrhea and is vomiting."

"Okay. I will be there in two minutes."

Before Delphine hangs up, she hears another voice in the background that sounded clearly upset.

 _Is that the doctor? Is she coming now? Pancho needs medical attention!_

"Gracie, is that the owner?"

"Yes, Doc. She is worried and upset that it might be parvo. Don't worry miss, the doctor will be here in a few minutes."

Gracie directs the last part at the upset owner. Delphine hangs up the call and jogs to the direction of her clinic, picking up the pace after a few steps.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Chapter 2 as promised! Krystal wasn't supposed to be in there but I had the funny image of her with a chihuahua a la Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde.

Babu the rescue was inspired by my dog Babu who passed away last year. I love him so much. I adopted him and he was also malnourished and had a bad skin disease. He died last year of unknown causes. I was busy with work and he died the evening before my day off when I was scheduled to take him to the vet. Yes, I was a bad owner.

Queen Kylie was a figment of my imagination. It seemed fitting that Krystal would name her dog that. Chapter 3 may take a few days. Please like, comment, and share with other OB and Cophine fans!


	3. The One Where Cosima Is Really Gay

**Chapter 3: The One Where Cosima Is Really Gay**

* * *

Cosima throws her hands up in the air.

"Duude, how much longer is this doctor going take?!"

Cosima's sudden exasperated outburst makes the meek assistant jump. It has only been a minute since the doctor hung up.

"Ma'am, Dr. Cormier will be here any second. Pancho will be fine. There's nothing to worry about."

Gracie tries her best to pacify the agitated woman. Cosima feels guilty for being the naggy dog mom, so she sighs and shoots the assistant an apologetic look.

"Okay, um… Gracie?"

The dreadlocked woman reads her name tag and confirms that it is in fact the assistant's name.

"Yeah. Gracie, look, I'm sorry. It's just that my dog is basically my child and the most precious thing in my life, you know?"

Gracie nods her understanding and gives Cosima a calming smile. She then looks towards the lobby entrance doors behind the bespectacled woman's head, seeing Dr. Cormier come in jogging.

 _Hmm. Less than two minutes, even._

Gracie thinks, thankful that the doctor is finally here so the worried pet owner can finally be put at ease.

Cosima notices the assistant look somewhere behind her and turns to look in the same direction. Her jaw drops.

"Holy fuck."

A blonde goddess in a sports bra and runners bursts through the clinic doors, in all of her sweaty post-jog glory, illuminated by the afternoon sunlight. Time slows by for the pet owner as the willowy jogging beauty passes by them. Cosima wonders if she was a sculpture given life by Zeus himself.

" _Wow."_

Cosima notices the droplets of sweat roll down the blonde's clavicles down to… somewhere under that sports bra and then down that glorious abdomen. Her throat grows dry (she thinks this is probably because she's drooled out all the moisture in her mouth) and she gulps hard.

"Ahem… Ahem… _Excuse me?"_

It takes a moment for Cosima to realize that the curse words came from her mouth. It takes another moment for Cosima to realize that Gracie coughed a couple of _'ahem's_ to get her attention and that now the assistant has given up on that and was tapping her shoulder, instead. The brunette snaps out of it and tries to pick her jaw up from the floor.

In reality, Delphine only makes the jog from the lobby entrance to her office door to the right of the front desk in five quick steps.

"Ah, eh… Erm. Ahem. S-sorry. Were you… Were you saying anything?"

Cosima looks down, feeling her ears and cheeks burn bright red. She suddenly curses her pulled back dreads because some bangs would be nice to hide behind with right now.

Gracie eyes her weirdly. The pet owner blushes harder.

"Yeah… Uh, Dr. Cormier will be with you shortly. We can wait for her with your Pancho."

The assistant steps out from behind the desk, puts out an arm to direct the woman towards the secluded ward where the sick animals are checked up initially, and motions for her to follow.

"Yes, yes. Okay. Great. I'd like that!"

Cosima ends the statement with a nervous chuckle. She follows behind Gracie.

 _Way to let the gay out, Niehaus._ She mentally berates herself.

They come through a glass door and Cosima sees Pancho wagging his tail weakly as he lies down with the IV that was attached to his front leg earlier. Seeing her usually energetic furball this weak breaks the pet owner's heart.

"Oh, my poor baby."

Cosima whispers as she reaches out to rub Pancho's head and neck soothingly. The assistant motions to a chair nearby, silently offering the pet owner to sit while they wait. Cosima smiles then moves to sit on the chair offered, with Gracie sitting on the chair right beside her.

Before Cosima expels another breath, the doors open and Delphine comes striding in, standing beside the table where the sick pup lays. Gracie stands up and quickly moves beside the doctor. The pet owner freezes for a moment after seeing the same blonde goddess from earlier, now in a white lab coat with a business suit underneath.

It then registers to Cosima's mind that the blonde she was checking out was in fact, the doctor she'd been impatiently waiting for: Dr. Delphine Cormier.

 _Holy fuck._

This time Cosima was able to keep that to herself.

The blonde doctor faces her assistant and a woman in dreadlocks and glasses who she presumes is the owner.

" _Bonjour_. I am Dr. Delphine Cormier. I am sorry to have kept you waiting."

The doctor says with a professional air around her then offers her hand to shake for the owner.

"I.. uh…"

Cosima's eyes go wide and she freezes like a deer caught in headlights. She then registers that the godde-er, doctor offered her hand and she takes it.

Delphine gives three good pumps for the shake and moves to let the hand go, only the woman was still holding on to her hand. Cosima realizes her blunder and decides to take her hand away before she could embarrass herself further. The pet owner clears her throat before gathering all the cool she could muster up to introduce herself properly, without melting.

"Uh, Cosima."

Cosima gestures to herself, her hands moving as she speaks.

"Cosima Niehaus. Pancho's uh, mom- I mean, owner."

Delphine smiles. The doctor already knew that this woman was definitely a dog mom from the call.

" _Enchantee."_

Cosima feels her heart fluttering at the french greeting. She smiles and tilts her head.

" _Enchantee."_

Gracie looks back and forth the two women, feeling a weird vibe in the room. The assistant couldn't put a word on it - it wasn't tension, per se, but definitely something close to it.

Delphine breaks the haze.

"So, since when has he been vomiting and experiencing diarrhea?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I decided to cut the chapter here because I meant for it to revolve around Cosima's gayness as a third aspect of her personality, besides the disorganized Grad Student and dog mom I painted her in Chapter 1. I'm still mulling over what is going to happen in the following chapter. Rest assured, I won't take to long to update since I don't have much else to do. :P


	4. The One Where Their Worlds Grow Smaller

**Author's Note:** I have two new chapters for you guys in one update! Yay! It was really supposed to be one chapter but I decided to cut it in two for those who prefer not so lengthy chapters, or don't have enough time to read one lengthy chapter.

I've decided to make this fic a slow burn and will pace myself in writing it. I've written other pieces while taking a break from this one. I hope you check those out and I hope you like the two chapters I'm putting up. Please leave a review! I'm no veterinarian and my google skills can only cover so much. Feel free to correct the parts of Delphine saying vet stuff. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The One Where Their Worlds Grow Smaller**

Cosima hums and taps her boots on the tiled floors of the clinic/hospital lobby. She was asked to wait outside as the doctor finishes her tests on the sick puppy, so they can finally find out what caused the illness.

Delphine walks out after Cosima finishes humming half of "Distant Travelers" by Mike Love (which in her mind she insists that the song was in _no way_ inspired by her meeting the magnificent Dr. Cormier). The doctor takes off her gloves and addresses the pet owner as she stands.

"Well, Ms. Niehaus…"

Delphine starts before she was interrupted by the brunette.

"Just Cosima is fine."

Delphine nods and smiles.

"Yes, well… Cosima. I'm happy to tell you that it is definitely not the parvo virus."

Cosima exhales a sigh of relief, although she hasn't really been worried and upset since the doctor arrived.

"However, Pancho has some form of food poisoning. Did he ingest anything potentially poisonous, in the last 24 hours?"

Cosima's eyes widen and she racks her brain for any possible scenario that her beloved pup could have eaten anything to make him this ill.

"I, uh… I… No. No, there's just no way. His space is clear and I've only ever fed him dog food, treats, and boiled vegetables that are healthy for dogs. His sitters also strictly follows the list of things he can eat. It's just not possible."

Delphine purses her lips and also thinks of situations she can suggest to help the once again distraught pet owner.

"Well, did you change anything in his diet recently? Like the brand or type of dog food you feed him?"

Cosima looks at the doctor as if a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Actually, yeah. The grocery store at the corner ran out of lamb-flavored dry puppy food. I bought him pork-flavored ones instead. He started vomiting a little after he ate earlier."

"Ah. Pancho is most probably allergic to pork, then. Dogs, especially puppies, can vomit and have diarrhea from eating food they are allergic to and be considered food poisoning."

The pet owner slaps a hand to her face which surprises the doctor.

"Damn. So stupid!"

Delphine touches Cosima's shoulder and rubs her thumb over it briefly, trying to comfort her. This is an uncharacteristically soft gesture from the usually professional doctor.

"Well, it's not your fault. He is just allergic to pork. Like how some humans are just allergic to peanuts. You don't know it until you get sick."

Cosima nods, her scientific brain kicking in knowing that the doctor is a hundred percent correct. She still somehow feels at fault, however, because she was the one who fed her pup the cause for his illness.

The doctor hands her the prescription.

"This is the medication you need to give him and just keep him on an IV for all the fluids he lost. You can take him home soon."

Cosima smiles and accepts the piece of paper, looking down to hide another growing blush. She appreciated the doctor's attempts at comforting her.

"Alright. Thanks, doc."

"You're welcome. Bring him in again if there are any other problems. My phone number and the clinic's are also printed there. _Au revoir._ "

Cosima thinks she has now developed a thing for french women; specifically, hot french women in fields of science. She's glad and thankful that she actually listened in French class in high school and that she doesn't sound like a cawing parrot trying to impress the doctor when she speaks french.

" _Au revoir,_ Dr. Cormier."

* * *

"Heeeyy, Mrs. S!"

Cosima greets the Irish woman who was behind the cash register at the grocery the woman owned. The young woman moves to give the older woman a big hug. The hug is returned in equal warmth.

"Oh, hello, chicken! And hello to you, Pancho."

The older woman gives the puppy a good rub under the chin, making his tail wag and his hind leg thump. The pet owner chuckles.

"We're just here on a quick evening trip to pick up some dog food. Got any more lamb?"

"Yes, we do. I told Benjamin to never forget to restock it again. Wouldn't want to get Pancho here to get sick again, now, would we?"

Mrs. S. smiles warmly at her, looks at Pancho, then suddenly remembers something.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, love, that Kira and I adopted a dog three weeks ago."

Upon hearing this, Cosima's eyes lit up like christmas lights.

"No way! What's his name? When can Pancho and I meet him?"

The irish woman laughed. Of course, nothing makes Cosima happier and giddier than puppies and dogs.

"His name is Babu. We rescued him actually. You remember our neighbors that moved out? Well, they left him behind, tied to his dog house, without food or water."

"Oh no…"

"We suddenly heard howling and it was so faint we weren't sure what it was. Kira told me she had a bad feeling and convinced me to check it. The poor boy was weak and hungry when we found him, all alone there."

Cosima's heart breaks for the poor dog.

"I can't believe people can be so cruel."

"Yeah. We took him to the vet immediately. He's recovering right now and has a better appetite."

Cosima smiles.

"That's great. Maybe I can drop Pancho one day and it can be a playdate."

Mrs. S. chuckles.

"Sounds like a great idea."

"Okay, Mrs. S, I better let you get back to work. A grocery store won't run itself."

Mrs. S nods and expels a breath..

"That it doesn't, chicken. That it doesn't."


	5. The One Where Fate Does That Thing

**Chapter 5: The One Where Fate Does That Thing**

Cosima sways her head to the music coming through her earphones. She has taken a liking to "Distant Travelers" recently and is currently listening to it.

She is leisurely walking through the aisle on dog food and dog supplies with Pancho sitting perfectly behaved in the little doggie basket in her shopping cart. Mrs. S. was amazing enough to allow pets inside her grocery store, provided that they behave, of course. She always charges anything the pets break to their owners. Cosima had to pay for five bottles of Jack Daniels once when Pancho was smaller. She still couldn't figure out how the hell that happened. Sarah, who happened to also be at the store, just gaped at the mess, shaking her head and whispering _"what a waste… what a waste"_.

Cosima picks up a big sack of dry dog food - the right kind - and unconsciously starts singing along to the song. Pancho just follows Cosima's movements with his head. The pet owner decides to shop for her own food, too, and moves to the section of greens, still singing.

"I thought you sounded familiar."

The voice cuts through the music and Cosima turns to the direction of its origin, taking one earbud out. Cosima's mouth goes dry, as it always does when she sees attractive women.

It was Dr. Delphine Cormier in a white button up blouse and a crimson pencil skirt that hugs her curves perfectly.

"Oh, Dr. Cormier."

Cosima manages a greeting out. She gathers herself and addresses the doctor again.

"I didn't expect to see you here. What a pleasant surprise!"

" _Bonsoir_ , Cosima. Hello, Pancho."

The french doctor approaches them and pats the puppy on the head.

"I decided to do a little shopping before going home. I heard you singing and I thought the voice and song sounded familiar."

Cosima raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh. Do you know this song?"

Delphine chuckles and shakes her head.

"No, actually. I only heard it while you were waiting in the lobby of the clinic two days ago. I thought the song and your voice were beautiful."

Cosima couldn't help the blush that is creeping up her cheeks. She looks down.

"Oh, it's uh... It's a good song."

The pet owner chuckles. She then notices holding a shopping basket in the french woman's hand containing a bottle of white wine, ingredients for a salad, uncooked linguine, some seafood, and a bottle of olive oil. Cosima fails to put a break on the words that come out of her mouth.

"Wow. Got a date?"

Delphine tilts her head in confusion.

"What?"

The french woman realizes that her client was referring to the items in her shopping basket.

"Oh, this. Uh…"

Cosima realizes that she may have overstepped boundaries with that question. She and the doctor were not exactly on that level of friendship; or any level of friendship, for that matter.

"Oh, shit, sorry, that was too personal. Forget I asked. Never mind that. It doesn't matter. I forget to pull the brakes on my mouth sometimes."

Delphine laughs and shakes her head.

"Oh, no, no, no! It's fine. I, um... was just trying to figure out how to tell you that it's really all just for me without it sounding embarrassing. I just really like stocking food at my place."

The doctor throws her hand in the air as she explains, trying to be nonchalant. Cosima nods, a little too vigorously.

"Yeah, yeah. Totally. That's not embarrassing at all. At least you have decent food. You should see the inside of my fridge. THAT's embarrassing."

Cosima's hands move as she speaks. For a moment, Delphine's eyes follow them and a smile creeps it's way onto her face. The french woman laughs as the pet owner ends her statement. Cosima laughs too then rubs the back of her neck. An awkward silence hangs between the two of them.

Delphine is the first to break it.

"Well, I should get going."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Um, thanks, Dr. Cormier."

Delphine smiles. Cosima quickly maneuvers the shopping cart and turns away from the doctor so she doesn't embarrass herself any further. The pet owner mentally curses her transformation from a grown woman on her way to a PhD to a kid with a stupid crush around the french veterinarian.

"Cosima!"

Delphine calls out before the pet owner could take another step further. Cosima jumps, surprised that the doctor called her name. Delphine approaches and sands beside her, still smiling.

"Call me Delphine."

A grin breaks out on Cosima's face, one that she couldn't stop even if she tried.

"Alright, Delphine."

* * *

"That'll be $45.90."

Cosima hands the payment to the cashier and takes her change. She carries the bag of her groceries with one arm and picks up Pancho from the basket and sets him down with the other, holding his leash.

Cosima looks up and is surprised to see Delphine talking to Mrs. S near the entrance and exit of the store.

"Hey! I didn't know you two knew each other."

Both women turn to her, Mrs. S. smiling and Delphine pleasantly surprised.

"Remember the rescue I told you, love? Well, where else would we bring him but to Delphine's clinic?"

Delphine chuckles at that. Of course, hers was the only decent animal hospital in the neighborhood, and situated at the center, so it was accessible from all points. Cosima blinks.

"Ohhhhh. Riight."

Before the doctor had a chance to ask, Mrs. S. turns to Delphine to explain to the french woman how she and Cosima were connected.

"Well, I have a foster daughter, Sarah. Five years ago, Cosima reached out to Sarah. They are sisters by blood, you see. Sarah is older than Cosima by eleven months. Ever since then, I've treated her like my own daughter, too."

Delphine's eyes widen at that, amazed that people she probably used to just pass by on the streets could be so connected, could have such a back story. She gets caught up in work and running a business that she forgets to step back sometimes.

"Wow."

Cosima looks at the doctor and smiles. Mrs. S. suddenly remembers something and turns to Cosima.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Cosima, we're celebrating Kira's eighth birthday next weekend. She expects you to come."

Cosima puts an arm around the Irish woman and gives her a side hug.

"Of course, Mrs. S. I'll be there. Can't miss the monkey's birthday. I actually already got her a present."

"Good."

Mrs. S. turns to Delphine.

"Delphine, would you like to come, too?"

Delphine is surprised by the invitation.

"Oh. But, isn't it a family affair? Won't I be intruding?"

Mrs. S. waves her question off.

"Oh, nonsense! Kira requested that you be there. She's taken quite a liking to you, ever since we took Babu to the clinic for regular checkups. She even tells me that she wants to be a vet like you someday."

Delphine blushes at that, flattered that the child looks up to her.

"Well, I enjoy Kira's company, too. Her curiosity and insight is amazing, very uncommon for a child her age."

Cosima is beaming with pride for her little niece. She pipes in.

"Kira's always been so smart. I already taught her the parts of a cell and atom."

Mrs. S. chuckles. Delphine is even more amazed at the child and finds Cosima's enthusiasm to share science stuff to her young niece endearing.

"So, I'll see you both at the party."

Cosima nods.

"Pancho and I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Delphine looks at Cosima, eyes twinkling, and smiles.

" _Oui_. Of course."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yep, it's definitely going to be a sow burn. Please let me know what you think! Leave a review, correct my mistakes, offer to proofread for me, criticize me. I would love whatever response you have for me. :)


	6. The One With The Birthday Party

_**AN:** So sorry this update took so long. I've been dealing with some personal things for the past few days and I struggled to write. I hope this chapter is good enough for those of you waiting. Please let me know what you think!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The One With The Birthday Party**

 _"Wait, you mean the vet Kira keeps talking about?"_

Sarah Manning's voice comes through the phone Cosima has tucked between her ear and shoulder as she pours dog food into Pancho's dog bowl.

The older sister (only by eleven months) speaks with an Irish/British accent from growing up and being raised by Mrs. S. in London. Sarah was definitely the rebel, wearing her hair in a permanent bedhead which she claims is sexy, and her fair share of stories of wild nights and trouble-making for her foster mother. Sarah grew up with a natural disdain for school and learning institutions, with a knack for pissing off and butting heads with authority figures, her foster mother included. Mrs. S. labeled her as the Trouble Monkey while Felix, her other foster child, was the Fabulous Art Monkey, as a joke. Of course, this was no less accurate.

Cosima, on the other hand grew up in San Francisco Bay Area, on a boat to parents who were professors at Berkeley. She lived, breathed knowledge and learning. She transferred to Canada for a PhD scholarship grant and to be with her sister. Mrs. S. labeled her the geek monkey.

The two sisters grew up in two different continents and their differences were innumerable. But, while each having a personality that's worlds apart from the other, their resemblance and connection was absolutely undeniable the moment they met. Side by side, they looked like identical twins.

"Yes. That's her. Have you met her?"

Cosima places the food bowl in the puppy's pen. Pancho is already up on his hind legs, leaning against the plastic fence of his playpen, tail wagging like mad in excitement for his food. He starts digging in before the bowl even touches the ground.

 _"No, haven't met her yet. S and Kira are always the ones who take the dog to the vet."_

Cosima mumbles an _'mhmm'_. Sarah would never be bothered to do something like that.

"Dude… The first time I saw her, I puked rainbows."

Her older sister's laughter rings through her ears.

 _"That hot, eh?"_

Cosima moves to her cupboard, grabs the box of Frosties and sets it on the table. She then grabs a bowl, a spoon, turns to the fridge and grabs the milk.

"I mean… Just… _Phew_."

She pours cereal into her bowl, then pours milk.

 _"Mmhm. Yeah. So, do you want me to wing you on my kid's birthday party?"_

Cosima almost drops the carton of milk as she pours some over the cereal. She thinks she would have thrown it at her sister if Sarah were across her.

"No! Absolutely not. Sarah, it's _your_ kid's birthday party… my niece! And I love you, but you're the shittiest wing-woman ever."

Sarah laughs again.

 _"You_ telling me _about this woman and_ her being invited _to the party means you_ want _me to help you. You know can't do this without me."_

Cosima digs into her cereal. Sarah could hear the crunching and munching over the line. The older sister speaks before Cosima could respond to her challenge.

 _"Cos, are you eating shite food again?"_

Cosima swallows.

"Dude, if I wanted to be winged, Felix would do a better job than you. And I'm not eating _shite_ food. I'm having cereal."

The pet owner laughs at her own imitation of Sarah cursing. Sarah doesn't even comment on her sister mocking her.

 _"For dinner? Jesus fuck. You have to eat better food Cosima. And I know you secretly enjoy it when I wing you."_

Cosima scoffs.

"Sarah, you are worse than a group of middle schoolers teasing me about a crush. I do not want to be humiliated in front of this one, please."

Sarah laughs at her again.

 _"Cos, you know you love it because you get to bond with your favorite sister."_

"Dude, Felix is my favorite sister. Not you."

Cosima laughs. It was true. Not the Felix is her favorite sister part, because she loves them both, but the part about her enjoying Sarah playing wing-woman. It was for the simple fact that she gets to share a bonding moment with her long-lost sister. If Sarah's attempts were not successful, it at least made for funny stories to tell Mrs. S. However, they usually do this in bars where Cosima knows no one and her good name wasn't really at stake.

 _"Oi, Cos, I have to put Kira to bed. Talk to you later, yeah?"_

"Okay. Tell monkey that I love her. And good night to you both."

 _"Yeah, okay. Good night, Cos. Bye."_

"Bye."

Sarah hangs up. Cosima puts her phone down and continues eating her cereal. She thinks about the French doctor and hopes that Sarah doesn't have _too_ much fun trying to be her wing-woman.

* * *

"Auntie Cosima!"

The birthday girl immediately comes running to her the moment she stepped foot inside Mrs. S' house. Cosima bends down to catch her in a hug.

"Hey, monkey- oof!"

Kira throws her arms around her aunt's neck and the child almost tackles the woman to the ground. Cosima chuckles at her niece's excitement to see her. Pancho, who she brought along, of course, was walking at her side. The puppy was definitely infected by Kira's excitement and is wagging his tail and barking for Kira's attention.

"Happy birthday!"

Cosima leans back from the hug to give Kira a big kiss on the cheek to match her greeting. The child giggles.

"Thank you."

The birthday girl then notices Pancho. She rubs the puppy's torso as she hugs him. Pancho just tries to lick her face.

"Oh, he's gotten bigger!"

Cosima smiles at what is probably the purest thing in the world - the scene of her beloved niece playing and cuddling her beloved pup. A warmth spreads in her chest.

"Yes, he has gotten bigger. And so did you."

Cosima only noticed that Mrs. S. and Felix, who was in an apron, are both standing, leaning against each side of the door frame that leads to the kitchen, watching the scene. She gives her niece a pat on the head and gets up to give them both a hug, turning to the matriarch first.

"Hello, chicken. Thanks for coming in early to help."

"No, problem at all, Mrs. S."

Felix smirks and greets her with a one-armed hug, his other hand carrying an apron which Cosima suspected to be meant for her.

"Well, I finally get to see my favorite lesbian. Here's an apron. Make yourself useful."

And the pet owner suspected right. Cosima laughs and takes the apron.

"I missed you, too, Felix."

Just then, Sarah comes bounding down the stairs beside the door frame.

"Ah, the geek monkey is here."

Kira giggles at her mother calling Cosima a monkey. The little girl was carrying a surprisingly calm Pancho in her arms.

"You just missed me."

Cosima shoots back at her sister. Sarah, who's wearing her signature sleeveless band shirt and messy hair, raises an eyebrow at Cosima as she comes to stand beside her younger sister.

"Miss you? I talk to you almost every day. If anything, I'm sick of you."

Cosima rolls her eyes and puts an arm around Sarah's shoulders, giving her a side hug.

"Ha-ha, Sarah. Pretending to not have feelings to keep up your cool, badass image is so last season."

Mrs. S. chuckles.

"Aye. She got you there, love."

Sarah rolls her eyes but fails to hide her smile.

"Whatever."

The four adults proceed into the kitchen to start the preparations for Kira's backyard party. It was still early in the morning and the guests won't be arriving until lunch time.

Cosima ties her apron snugly around her waist. She is on cake baking duty today. Felix is starting the fire for the grill. Sarah and Mrs. S are setting up the balloons and other decorations up. Kira takes Pancho to the backyard where she introduces him to Babu and the two pups run around together after the initial wariness.

* * *

"Delphine, welcome! So glad you could come."

Cosima almost dropped the cake she was pulling out of the fridge after she hears Mrs. S. greet the French doctor who just arrived. Kira and her friends were already laughing and enjoying burgers and drinks outside while the clown Mrs. S. hired gave a magic show.

"Hello, Siobhan. I'm not too late, am I?"

The French doctor smiles. Mrs. S shakes her head. The matriarch takes Delphine's coat and the two women walk further into the house, passing the living room and going into the dining area and kitchen.

"Oh, no, not at all. In fact, you're just in time for the cake."

The Irish woman gestures to the cake on the counter top, purple and pink frosting decorated with flowers made of icing. Delphine's eyes land on the woman behind it, holding nine birthday candles in blues, yellows, and pinks.

"Oh, hello, Cosima."

Delphine smiles at her and Cosima feels a fluttering in her stomach. A smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

"Hi, Delphine."

Cosima unties her apron and takes it off. She moves around the counter and takes the cake and candles with her.

"Kira would be so glad to see you-"

"I hear Kira's not the only one happy to see you, doc."

Sarah cuts in and surprises the three women. She had walked through the door from the backyard without any one of them noticing.

The alarms in Cosima's head go off, her eyes go wide as she processes her sister's sudden presence and her statement. A look crosses Cosima's features, one that Sarah recognizes.

Cosima thinks, _oh no._

Sarah smirks.

 _Oh, yes._


	7. The One With Sarah & Felix The Wing-Sibs

Delphine looks between the two women, furrowing her brow. She figures that this woman who'd suddenly made an appearance was Sarah, Siobhan's daughter and Cosima's sister. There was no mistaking the glaringly obvious resemblance of the two young women; they could even be mistaken as identical twins. She could tell there was also something unspoken going on between the siblings and she just has absolutely no clue.

And what did Sarah mean with what she said? There was someone else excited to see her? Who? _Siobhan?_

Well, Delphine did like the Irish woman. Sarah is smirking at her like an imp.

" _Me._ I'm the one who's excited to meet you."

Sarah says it coolly and nonchalantly, pointing at herself. Cosima is steaming, whether it was out of embarrassment or annoyance at her sibling, one would never know.

The older sibling offers her hand for the French doctor to shake.

"Sarah Manning. Kira's mum. She's talked a lot about you, Dr. Delphine."

Delphine takes Sarah's hand and shakes it firmly, smiling awkwardly. She was confused at the vibe between the two sisters. She could tell that there was something going on there.

"Nice to meet you, Sarah."

Sarah picks up on the blonde doctor's accent.

"Ah, you're French. _Interesting._ "

Sarah looks at Cosima at the end of her statement, licks her lips and wiggles her eyebrows.

 _What the hell?_

Cosima couldn't believe Sarah just did what she did and hoped that Delphine didn't see that, or else the floor could just swallow her whole right now. She thought of lighting up a joint so she can endure her humiliation at the hands of her sister in a haze.

Mrs. S. eyes the three women and knowing Sarah and Cosima well enough over the last five years, she quickly puts two and two together.

Sarah is boldly introducing herself to a newcomer which is out-of-character for her. Sarah says something about Kira not being the only one excited to see Delphine. Cosima is glaring at Sarah and blushing, turning red like a tomato. Sarah is wiggling her eyebrows and Cosima looks like she suddenly wants to die.

It clicks in the matriarch's head.

 _Cosima has a crush on Delphine and Sarah is making fun of her for it._

Mrs. S. sighs and shakes her head.

 _These two… How predictable._

Sarah catches Mrs. S.' head shake and raises an eyebrow. The matriarch looks pointedly at her then looks at Cosima with pity. The mother and daughter duo have a conversation only using their eyes.

 _Sarah, stop embarrassing your sister._

 _But, it's so fun!_

Siobhan narrows her eyes.

 _Stop it. Stop it, right now._

Sarah holds S' stare stubbornly for as long as she can. Of course, this wasn't very long. Sarah looks down in defeat.

Cosima watches the interaction, catching and understanding what was transpiring between the two. Being in this house, around three hardass stubborn Brits who use insults as greetings and who don't like to talk about feelings much, she's learned to interpret and follow these looks and wordless conversations. She knows Mrs. S. just willed Sarah to shut up. Cosima beams, holding herself back from throwing a _'HA-HA'_ at her sister.

The matriarch looks at Cosima with her chin held up, giving her a small triumphant smile. Cosima smiles back a silent 'thank you' before shooting her sister a look and quickly sticking her tongue out at Sarah.

Delphine just watches everything, even more bewildered now than she was earlier.

Just then, the door bursts open and Felix comes sauntering in, wearing an apron and holding up a spatula.

"Oi, big geeky lesbian, how heavy is that cake and why are you taking so long to bring it out?"

Three of the four women's eyes go wide; Cosima's in panic that she was basically kicked-in-the-ass-out-of-the-closet outed to her crush; Sarah's in surprise that Felix just unknowingly demoted himself from wing-sibling #1 and made her look like a better wing-woman; and Delphine's in even more bewilderment and surprise at the characters of the people in this household.

 _It must be fun to live here,_ the doctor thinks. _It's like a 90's sitcom._

Mrs. S. just rolled her eyes at the train wreck that was her children. _Poor Cosima_ , she thinks. _That girl just wouldn't get a break._

The matriarch decides to step in.

"Alright, let's get this cake out of here. I want to make sure Kira gets a proper Happy Birthday song. Let's not keep everyone waiting."

Mrs. S. takes the round steel tray that has the cake on it. Delphine smiles at the older woman and follows her outside. Cosima looks at Sarah then to Felix and just throws her hands up in the air in frustration before walking out. Felix stares at the backs of the three women as they exit, confused. Sarah punches her brother in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for? _Bitch._ "

Felix rubs his shoulder.

"Oh shut up, Fe. That couldn't have been painful at all."

Sarah leans in closer so that no one else hears what she has to whisper to her foster brother.

"Fe, that's the vet Kira keeps talking about. Cosima has a big gay crush on her."

Felic leans back and scrunches his nose.

"So?"

Sarah rolls her eyes, considering smacking him again.

"Shite, Fe. You just called her a big lesbian in front of her crush, who probably has no clue. That was not smooth."

Felix raises both eyebrows in understanding and nods.

"Oh."

"Well, plus the fact that I probably already embarrassed Cos, too, y'know... Before you walked in."

Felix rolls his eyes.

"Of course. Why are you just blaming it on me, then?"

"Because you're supposed to be the better wingman! Now, let's go apologize to the geek monkey before she over thinks her embarrassment."

Felix nods. That last part was something he can agree with.

"Okay. Great idea."

"Haaaappy birthdaaaay, tooo youuuuu!"

All the children and adults finish singing to Kira. The child looks at everyone with stars in her eyes, having the best day of her life. Sara stares at her daughter with so much love and starts clapping as the song ends. Mrs. S. had been watching her daughter and her grand daughter and she was just immensely thankful for where they are now, as a family.

Things had not always been so good in Siobhan's household. Sarah Manning was an angry eight year old when S took her in. She only grew up to be angrier with a mean rebellious streak, always looking for trouble. That didn't change even after they moved to a different continent. The Irish woman did the best she could, even with her strained relationship with her own mother with whom she's cut ties from decades ago. Even after Kira was born, Sarah kept running from Siobhan, pushing her away.

Raising Felix wasn't a walk in the park either. He's always had too much sass and attitude, even at a young age, but he was always warmer, definitely more loving than Sarah.

Things slowly started changing five years ago, a little bit before Cosima came into their lives. Mrs. S. had prohibited Sarah from seeing Kira after she went off to god-knows-where and didn't call them for ten months. Kira being kept from the young woman had activated something in her, and eventually, when Cosima reached out to her and eventually moved to live in the same neighborhood, Sarah decided that she would try to open herself up to love and start giving the people around her the love they deserve.

It wasn't at all an instantaneous thing. It took years. Siobhan was happy with the peace they achieved then, with Cosima as a new addition to their family. Cosima was happy to be part of this family now and is proud of how far her sister had come.

Siobhan recalls that final pivotal moment, though, for both her and Sarah. It happened only two years ago. Siobhan and Sarah were having a particularly rough night, the first after three years of peace since she was banned from seeing her daughter, after her biological sister reached out to her. The matriarch couldn't even recall what that fight was about, just that it had escalated quickly and things slipped out of her control. Kira heard the both of them fighting, Sarah yelling and Siobhan slapping her. The child witnessed this and got upset. She ran out of their home and got hit by a car crossing the street.

That was the most gruelling night of their lives. The two mothers both hated that Kira had to be rushed in an ambulance to solidify the glue mending their relationship. They had an unspoken vow that night to always act in the child's best interest and to give her a better family life and home. Kira was a unique child, never blamed them for not giving her an atypical childhood, never held a grudge against Sarah for not telling her who her father was or for being away a lot, never hated anyone. Kira was just filled with love and understanding and wisdom beyond her years that S, Sarah, and Felix wondered how in the hell they could ever deserve such an angel in their lives.

Cosima had just always surmised that they had suffered and struggled enough that the universe gave them the light they needed in the form of her niece.

All the guests clap and cheer as the birthday girl blows out her candles after making her wish. Kira then immediately runs to greet Delphine with a hug around the French woman's hips, something she was unable to do because Mrs. S. gathered everyone around to sing earlier.

"Dr. Delphine!"

Delphine laughs and bends down giving the little girl a proper hug.

"Hello, _ma cherie._ Happy birthday! I got you a little something."

Delphine hands Kira a light blue gift box with a little royal blue bow on top. The child takes it, excitement written all over her face, holds it beside her ear and shakes it, trying to figure out what is inside. The doctor chuckles.

Cosima watches her niece interact with the blonde doctor, standing a few feet away. She pops open a beer bottle using the butt of her plastic lighter. This was a trick she learned back in Berkeley after going to all of her ex's gigs and shows. Nobody ever brought a swiss knife or a pocket bottle opener and the bars were so shitty and packed that the baristas never bothered to open all of the beers they serve. She wasn't an alcohol drinker by any means, just the occasional wine or champagne glass during important celebrations; her admission to the University of California, her graduation from her bachelor's degree, her graduation from her masters degree, birthdays and holidays.

It's been years since she last heard that pop and following sizzling of carbon dioxide.

 _Wow. Huh. Glad to see I could still do that._

Cosima takes a sip of the beer and immediately regrets it as the bitter taste assaults her tongue.

"Oi-oi, Cosima."

Felix's voice greets her. He and Sarah had arms around each others' shoulder like a drunken pair of sailors or conjoined twins at the side. Felix throws his other arm around her neck.

 _Now they were conjoined triplets._

"We're sorry. We suck."

The Brit siblings apologize perfectly in sync. Cosima wonders if they rehearsed that.

"Did you guys rehearse that?"

Sarah and Felix turn to look at each other then look at her.

"Yes."

They say this again simultaneously that it makes Cosima snort, laughing. The two Brits smile.

"Well, look at you lot. Just the three stooges, aren't ya?"

The matriarch comes up to them, a smile in her voice and a twinkle in her eye. She folds her arms in front of her and raises an eyebrow, silently asking what this sudden love fest was about.

"Oh, I'd like to think we're the three musketeers. That's just so much more badass."

Cosima pipes up, chuckling. Sarah rolls her eyes at her sister. What a very Cosima thing to say.

"Dork."

Sarah teases and Cosima sticks her tongue out at her sister.

"I'd rather we're the Charlie's Angels. I'm Drew Barrymore, of course… or we can be the Totally Spies."

Felix delivers the real punchline. The two sisters burst out laughing. Felix wiggles his eyebrows. S just smiles and shakes her head.

"Mum! Look!"

Kira catches their attention. The child comes running to the four adults who love her most, holding the present she received from her newfound friend, the neighborhood veterinarian. Delphine follows a few steps behind the child.

"Monkey! The doctor gave you a present, yeah? Did you thank her?"

Kira hugs Sarah's hip.

"Of course I did, mummy."

The adults laugh at Kira's response. _Of course she did._ Their little monkey was too smart to not know the basic pleasantries demanded in society.

Delphine looks at all of them and the picture of this family overflowing with love for each other brings her joy and completes her day. The French doctor thinks about her own family, how her own was always so prim and proper and never as warm.

Mrs. S. looks at Delphine and then to Cosima, getting a bloody good idea in her head.

If her foster daughter and son sucked so bad at winging Cosima, then she was going to take the damn role for herself. Lord knows the woman deserves better than Felix and Sarah's embarrassing attempts. She turns to the French doctor.

"Delphine, would you mind staying for drinks and dinner after the party? Just as a thank you for coming today and making Kira so happy."

Cosima turns to the woman that's also become a mother to her for the last five years.

 _Oh no. What are you up to, Mrs. S?_

The matriarch catches Cosima's look and gives her a wink.

If anything, Siobhan Sadler's _got this._


	8. The One Where You Hold Onto Your Hat

**AN:** Sorry for the late update. This should've been up two days ago but I had to leave my house and live in reality lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter! This is definitely one you've all been waiting for. Please leave a review or fave or swing by my tumblr: _janyolski_ , and give me comments/suggestions. I'm also on AO3 as _janyolski_ , if you prefer reading on there. Thanks in advance for reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The One Where You Hold Onto Your Hat**

Once the last kid says goodbye to Kira, Cosima starts collecting the used party plates and cups still left outside in the backyard.

Delphine lingers around inside the house, studying the little quirks that make it feel so homey. She looks at the framed photos of an adolescent Sarah and Felix, of a newborn Kira carried by a happy but worn out Sarah in a wheelchair at the hospital, a younger Kira with her hair in braids, smiling and missing two front teeth, and a discolored photo of a young beaming Siobhan wearing a wedding dress in the arms of a handsome young man in a tux. What catches her eye the most, however, was the painting of Siobhan sitting and holding a cup of tea in her right hand, the left on her lap, with a shotgun beside her. The woman in the painting looked intimidating at first, but after a closer look, Delphine could see the strength strength radiating off of her, weirdly, in a loving way; like a mother bear willing to damn everyone for the sake of her children. It was beautiful and in the little time they've known each other, Delphine believes it captures Siobhan perfectly.

Her thoughts drift to her own home in Paris; to her disciplinarian French father who was a French army general, and her meek Canadian mother who had been a nurse before her father insisted that her mother stay at home as a housewife to raise their children, cook their meals, wash their clothes, and make sure their house always looked perfect should there be any important guests coming. Delphine thinks about the big house she grew up in with its expensive antiques, gilded liquor glasses, china, and silverware, of the chandelier that hung over the dining table, of the sound of utensils scraping ringing in her ears from the lack of conversations during dinner because her father disapproved of loudness or laughter.

 _That house was cold, even with the heaters; quiet except for forced interactions; and empty even with all the furniture that filled it._

Delphine thinks of this home and how different it is; how lucky the people are in it.

"Awesome painting, huh?"

The French doctor's thought are interrupted by the dreadlocked woman who was holding two glasses of red wine. Cosima smiles at her with the same amount of warmth Siobhan's home emanates, offering one glass to her. Delphine nods and accepts the glass, smiling back.

"Merci. Yes, it is."

Cosima turns to admire the painting too.

"Felix painted it."

Delphine scans the painting once more, finally noticing the golden signature at the bottom left corner, _F. Dawkins 2017_.

"He did? He's an amazing artist! He captured Siobhan so well."

Cosima chuckles, studying the painting for a moment then turning to Delphine.

"Tea and a shotgun. That's Mrs. S., alright."

Delphine nods and smiles.

"Does he exhibit and sell his works?"

"Not yet. He plans to, someday. Just waiting for a big break, y'know?"

"Oui. I understand. I would love to buy a painting of his someday, when he exhibits them."

Cosima beams at that, proud of the man he's considered a brother for the last five years. She's always admired Felix's art and has commissioned a few pieces from him and now they are the currently hanging on the walls of her apartment.

"You should tell him that. He'll be so happy."

Delphine nods.

"I will."

The two women stay in comfortable silence for a few beats, just sipping their wine and studying the painting.

Delphine breaks the silence.

"Siobhan's home is so warm. I don't think I've ever been to another home like it."

Cosima just chuckles, thinking of the crazy stories of Sarah and Felix sneaking out, of Sarah dropping out of highschool, of Mrs. S. having to pick up Sarah from the police station one too many times, of all the things S sacrificed when she uprooted her life and children by leaving Brixton and moving to Canada for the sake of their safety. The warmth of this house really all comes from the magnitude of Mrs. S' love for Felix, Sarah, and Kira.

"I thought that, too, when I first came here. Even when fight, Sarah and Mrs. S., y'know?"

Cosima's hands move in the air as she speaks.

"The warmth in this house never dissipated. I came to realize that it's all S; the warmth, the cozyness."

Cosima shrugs. Delphine nods, understanding, almost seeing the fights in her mind's eye. She thinks of the holidays, too, gatherings probably much like this one where it's all warmth and smiles and laughter. She could imagine the picture of Siobhan's family embodying the word itself. Her heart feels light, as she lives vigorously through them.

The French doctor thinks the painting of the matriarch perfectly complements and completes the house, making it home.

"Cosima, would you mind taking care of the dishes, love? I have Felix on duty cleaning the whole house and Sarah's putting Kira to bed."

The two women turn to the direction of the Irish woman's voice in surprise. Siobhan was leaning against the doorframe that leads into the living room, in front of the stairs, with a wine glass of her own in one hand and an eyebrow raised in question.

Delphine wonders how much of the conversation the older woman heard. She assumes that Siobhan's been there for a while.

"Okay, Mrs. S."

Cosima starts moving to the kitchen but Delphine puts an hand on Cosima's arm which makes her pause in her step.

"I'll go help you."

Delphine offers. Cosima is surprised.

"Are you sure, Delphine? You're a guest. You don't have to."

Mrs. S. smiles and asks.

"Oh, I don't mind."

Delphine smiles, looking at Siobhan then Cosima. The older woman nods.

"Okay. Thank you, love."

Siobhan turns around, leaving the two women.

"Okay, let's go."

Cosima is now the one with her hand on the French woman's arm. They both move to the kitchen and get started on the pile of dishes.

* * *

"So, you're taking up your PhD?"

Cosima looks up from the dish she was scrubbing with a sponge. Delphine was on pre-wash duty while she was in charge of soaping and scrubbing. They decided to divide the work that way then move on to rinsing and storing later on. It would definitely be easier and quicker to divide the tasks as pre-wash and scrubbing for one person and rinsing and storing for the other, but there was some sort of unspoken agreement that there was no need to hurry and the work would be done quickly with two of them, anyway.

Cosima just really wanted to talk to Delphine more. She's not sure if Mrs. S. was winging her by putting them on dish washing duty, but heck, she's thankful for the opportunity, anyway.

And unknown to the pet owner, the French blonde vet she was crushing hard on wanted to get to know her, too.

Somehow, Delphine was curious about this woman. Cosima piqued her interest; the American was not your typical grad student or dog mom or aunt. She was all of those things thrown into a blender, and then some. She carried herself in her own unique style, spoke comfortably and confidently, and was unashamed to show warmth and affection.

Delphine also saw Cosima swaying and dancing by herself to the music earlier and she thought, _damn, the girl can move._ And she can also sing pretty well, which the doctor knew from the clinic and the grocery store.

Meanwhile, Cosima's heart was pounding against her chest and she wondered if she was having cold sweats or something. She was nervous to be in close proximity with Delphine. The blonde was attractive in the probably-a-freaking-model kind of way, with her willowy body and soft blonde curls. But she was enjoying doing the dishes with the French woman at the same time, chatting about random things and slowly getting to know each other. Well, Delphine was getting to know her. She's the one doing most of the sharing.

"Yeah. I'm taking up Evo-Devo."

Delphine tilts her head. Cosima realizes that the doctor might not know the abbreviation.

"Oh, Evolutionary Development."

Cosima was about to explain the abbreviation and apologize for the slip. She's used to calling it that in Uni. But she was surprised the blonde knew what it was.

"Wow. You know it?"

Delphine nods.

"I do. I considered taking up medicine a few years ago and looked up the available programs. I saw Evolutionary Development on the PhD list."

Cosima is once again surprised and amazed by the blonde. She'd been used to always being the only science nerd in any group outside her university. This was the first time she was meeting a kindred spirit who was not her classmate.

"Really? That's so cool. Why didn't you go to med school, then?"

Delphine looks at Cosima then looks down at the plate she was washing grease off of.

"Well, you know what happens when plans don't play out… Life got in the way."

Delphine gives Cosima a smile but her eyes tell a different story. Delphine had always wanted to be a doctor. She'd wanted to be a surgeon as a young girl then growing up, after she saw a photo of a malnourished African child, dying in the desert, she'd wanted to specialize in immunology and bacteriology. She'd dreamt of innovating vaccines or cures. She dreamt of joining non-profit organizations or becoming a doctor and researcher for the WHO. She wanted to travel to countries where the people were too poor to afford medicine, to help those communities; she wanted to save lives.

But her father forbade it. Her father wanted her to be a nurse then to find a nice young man to settle down with.

 _There was no point in all of that,_ he said. _Fairy tales. Dreams._ He'd scoffed at her. _A woman's place is in a home, taking care of her children. One day you'll see what I mean_

Her father was a stubborn man with antiquated beliefs. He believed the only way for her to be happy was to be her mother and focus all of her energy into making a home and raising children. She'd felt so suffocated growing up, of feeling trapped under her father's overbearing shadow. The only thing that got her through was her mother who encouraged her in secret; who whispered, _ma cherie, you are brave and smart,_ before tucking her in bed at night.

Your dreams will come true. You will make them. You have to believe.

So, at the young age of sixteen and with the little amount of money her mother stole from her father's wallet whenever the man wasn't looking, Delphine ran away and lived with her mother's cousin.

But life didn't get easier for her after that. Her aunt was verbally abusive. Curse words and slurs were thrown at her, replacing the quiet coldness that was her father. She worked as a waitress or a cashier at night, taking many other odd jobs on her free days, and studied in the morning. In between, her aunt constantly asked her for money and cursed at her if she couldn't give any.

 _You freeloading bitch! You should be glad I took you in. I give you a roof over your head and what do you give me? Nothing! You useless, stupid, privileged…_

"Delphine? Hey… Delphine!"

The French doctor is pulled from her thoughts.

"I'm sorry… What?'

"I said we're done with the dishes. Do you want some more wine? We can relax on the couch."

Cosima spoke softly to her. Delphine only realized then that the woman had touched her arm trying to get her attention.

The doctor looks into Cosima's eyes and recognizes the concern in them. Then she notices how beautiful the dreadlocked woman's eyes were. Her heart skips a beat.

 _Hazel._

Delphine looks down and inhales, realizing she'd unconsciously been holding her breath. Unknown to her, Cosima had been doing the same.

Cosima pulls her hand away. Delphine remembers the hanging invite and nods her head and laughs.

"Yes. Yes, sorry. I think I spaced out. I'd love to have more wine with you."

Cosima tries to suppress the butterflies in her stomach from the last words of the doctor's statement, grabbing two new wine glasses and the already opened bottle of wine at the kitchen counter.

 _With you._

She fails to suppress the butterflies. She fails _miserably._

Delphine sits on the couch and Cosima pours them both a glass. The doctor raises hers for a toast and the pet owner raises her glass in response. Their glasses clink and then they both take a sip.


	9. The One With The Bet

**Summary:** Cosima and Delphine talk and time flies. Mrs. S, Sarah and Felix make a bet... do they kiss or don't kiss by the end of the night? Read on to find out!

 **AN:** So sorry if this chapter took longer to write. I hope you enjoy reading this! I definitely enjoyed writing it. The events called for a lengthier update and I hope you find time to read the whole chapter! I like throwing in a bit of canon here and there. I like cliffhangers too. ;) Leave a review or fave or message me! I want to hear your thoughts and critiques! I also wrote a halloween fic featuring 7yo Cophine trick-or-treating. Feel free to go on and read that after this, in case you need a dose of fluff. 'Til next update~

* * *

 **The One With The Bet**

"Holy freaking shite, mum."

Felix gapes at the scene in the living room. Mrs. S. wears a small but very smug smirk. Sarah who's known her foster mother for much of her life just rolls her eyes. The two foster siblings were crouching on top of a stair each, making sure that their eavesdropping and watching weren't obvious to the two women in the living room. Siobhan didn't bother hiding; the matriarch simply stood beside the stairs knowing full well that Delphine and Cosima were in their own little bubble, too caught up in each other to notice that the three other 'adults' of the house were spying on them. Well, the matriarch was undoubtedly an adult; Sarah and Felix? Well, they still needed some work in that department. Sarah however, couldn't accept the fact that their mother had succeeded where they hadn't, and grumbles.

"Well, no need to be smug, mum."

Siobhan puts a hand to her mouth, stifling a chuckle.

"Oh, chicken, you two were practically twiddledum and twiddledee earlier with how you handled Cosima's crush on Delphine. So I stepped in and…"

The matriarch gestures to the direction of the two women.

 _"Voila."_

Cosima and Delphine are still talking on the couch, the bottle of wine finished. They were facing each other, Cosima's knee rested slightly on top of Delphine's. They had moved closer and closer to each other after every glass, growing more and more comfortable as their inhibitions are forgotten one by one. Delphine has her face propped up on her hand and her elbow is on top of the couch's backrest, pressing against Cosima's bare shoulder. They were literally only half and arm's length apart. The two women looked like they would be kissing at any moment. Sarah scrunches her face up at the scene. _I could have done that, too,_ she thinks.

"Pfft. _Fine."_

But Sarah concedes and Siobhan throws a proud smile at her. It was Felix's turn to roll his eyes at two of his favorite women in the world. He's definitely accepted the fact that two of his most favorite women in the world, his mother and sister, needed to bicker or clash over every other thing in their lives. It's like the fuel to keep their relationship going. It, however, gets old for him sometimes.

"Okay, I know your issues give meaning to your lives, but let's go back to our spying, shall we? Think they're gonna kiss soon?"

Sarah rolls her eyes but goes along with his brother's wishes.

"Bet you $5 that Cosima's gonna chicken out."

Felix looks his sister with determination in his eyes He knows Cosima's gayness is going to overcome her eventually and they're going to be bonking nasties any time soon. Christ, it may just be the wine, but they already look madly in love at the moment. Either way, he's certain they're going to at least kiss by the end of the night.

 _Pfft, lesbians,_ he thinks.

He pulls out a crumpled $5 bill from his pocket.

"Deal."

Meanwhile, Delphine swirls the last few drops of wine in her glass as Cosima tells her another childhood story.

"It's funny that I'm working my ass off to be a scientist when I couldn't even dissect a frog back in 9th grade biology. I just felt so sorry for the frog. I couldn't harm him."

Delphine ' _aww_ 's and smiles. She's enjoying learning about the other woman. Cosima is bright and vibrant and so kind to everyone around her, may they be humans, plants, or animals. The French doctor doesn't think she's ever encountered anyone quite like the person in front of her right now and it just makes her want to learn more. Delphine has never been a very friendly person, but she could feel deep down in her gut that Cosima was someone she wanted to be friends with and get to know better.

Cosima laughs then pauses. Delphine's face was beautifully illuminated by the lamp beside them. They had opted to dim the lights because that felt _right._ The intimacy of the moment makes Cosima's heart beat faster. Her eyes roam around the French woman's face, her brow, her expressive constant puppy eyes, down to her lips. Cosima stares at those lips longer than she should have and then she feels drawn to them. The pet owner wasn't prepared for what she felt next- a craving to dive in and crash her lips against the blonde's, like the magnetic pull of the waves to the shore.

But she doesn't. Before she could act on it, her brain registers her crazy needs and she slams the brakes so hard on her impulses that she could almost feel the sudden halt physically.

Cosima suddenly feels nauseous from their proximity and leans back. Delphine tilts her head, feeling the shift in the air. The head tilt reminds the pet owner of Pancho and she thinks, _wow, what a puppy,_ then scrambles to continue her story before Delphine figures out that she's been fantasizing of kissing her somehow.

Cosima throws a hand up in the air and moves as she always does when talk.

"Uh… Yeah. So I-I… I asked the teacher if I could be excused because I felt sick. Which I did, after seeing my classmates' frogs get stabbed in the spine and paralyzed. I don't know how I managed to, but I snuck my frog out and let him loose at the garden. I named him Kermit."

Delphine laughs. Of course, Cosima would name the frog kermit. Cosima laughs, too.

"That is so cute of you."

Cosima looks down and tries to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. This was futile, however, because she was already pretty rosy from the wine. Delphine sips the last of her wine and finishes it, setting it on the coffee table in front of them. The doctor looks at her watch and is surprised by how late it's gotten. It was almost 10 p.m. and the two of them had been chatting for more than two hours now. Cosima catches the motion and steps in before Delphine could utter a word.

"It's late and we should go. I'm sure you have to go to the clinic early tomorrow and Pancho probably wants to sleep in his own bed. I do, too."

Delphine chuckles and nods.

"Yes, well, I guess time flies when you're having fun."

Cosima smiles.

"Well, I'm glad this was fun for you, Dr. Cormier."

Delphine raises an eyebrow.

"It's hard not to enjoy the company of someone so interesting."

This time, Cosima could not stop the blush on her cheeks.

"I can drive you and Pancho home, if you'd like."

Delphine offers.

"Oh, wow, thank you but won't that be too much of a bother? I mean, I don't-"

"Oh, nonsense. Where is your apartment?"

"It's 324B on 21st street."

Delphine nods, knowing the place.

"It's not that far and it's right on my way home!"

Cosima smiles. Fate has a funny way of making things work.

"Alright."

"Let's go?"

Cosima nods.

Siobhan, Felix and Sarah watch the two women get up from the couch. The three of them scramble before they get caught spying. Felix and Sarah turn to each other while Siobhan pretends to be going up the stairs. Cosima and Delphine come out from the living room to grab their coats from the coat hanger beside the stairs. Cosima pauses at the sight of the the Irish woman and the foster siblings.

"Oh. What are you guys doing here?"

Mrs. S. laughs nervously and slowly turns. Sarah and Felix are pretending to look at something on Sarah's phone. Felix pretends to look up in surprise at Cosima and Delphine and greets them in his best unsuspicious voice.

"OH! You two. Hello. We're just here… you know. Hanging. Um, by the - I mean, on the, uh… stairs."

 _Sure, Felix. Like that wasn't weird._

In all fairness to Felix, that was the best he could come up with. Heck, even S panicked a bit, too. Siobhan cuts in and tries to salvage the situation.

"I was about to kiss Kira good night, love. I was surprised these two were here, too."

Wow, way to save yourself and leave us two as the suspicious ones, mum, Sarah thinks, raising an eyebrow at Siobhan. Siobhan just looks at her daughter and shrugs.

Cosima narrows her eyes at her chosen family. Cosima narrows her eyes at her chosen family. She swears in her mind if these three were watching her and Delphine, she'll give them a piece of her mind about meddling in with her love life. But she decides to leave that for tomorrow.

"Okay… Delphine and I will get going. She's gonna drop me off. See you guys again soon, yeah?"

Siobhan leans in to hug Cosima and give her a motherly kiss on the top of her head. The Irish woman knows Cosima secretly likes getting motherly affection from her. As always, the kiss makes Cosima smile like a happy child. Siobhan leans in to hug Delphine after. Cosima then turns to Delphine.

"Let me just get Pancho, okay?"

The pet owner goes out to the backyard to pick up a sleeping Pancho beside Babu. The golden brown pup wakes up immediately and wags his tail happily at his owner carrying him even if he was a little bigger and heavier now.

Cosima and Delphine say goodbye to the three on the staircase. Cosima even raises Pancho's paw to be a little extra and waves it to the quiet delight of Delphine and the eye roll of Sarah. The two make their exit and head to the doctor's car.

Sarah wastes no time in lunging at the $5 bill in Felix's hand after the object of their bets step out of the front door. Felix puts his free hand on his sister's face and pushes her away, holding the bill high up his head, as far as the space on the stairs permit. Sarah's back thuds lightly against the staircase posts.

"HEY! Give it! I won, she chickened out!"

Sarah swats Felix's hand away from her face. Felix harrumphs at his sister.

"Nuh-uh. Delphine's gonna take her home. They might kiss good night. We'll find out tomorrow, you greedy bitch!"

Siobhan shakes her head at her two children. She still wonders to this day how her almost 30 year old daughter and mid-20s son still haven't taken up an ounce of her composure or sense of responsibility after her; they were still children at heart, just a brother and sister who monkeys around every chance they get. Sarah still sometimes used her sock-covered toe to tickle Felix's nose whenever he falls asleep on their sofa. The two would proceed to play cat and mouse around the house when Felix wakes up to Sarah's foot. When Kira grew old enough to run around, the little girl would join in and it was just chaos inside her house. She thinks it's probably because she's got all the maturity and responsibility handled in this house that these two are free to be as silly as they want to. The matriarch wonders what would happen if she was the one who acted like a child. How would these two deal with it?

 _Hmm… Maybe on April Fools, I'll prank them- pretend I'm going through a second childhood, or something,_ Siobhan thinks. She decides to cut their shenanigans before they wake Kira up.

"Okay, cut it, you silly tits. You're going to wake Kira up."

Meanwhile Cosima and Delphine hear the faint sounds of the commotion as she puts her hand on the door handle of the doctor's car. The French doctor pauses and turns to her with a question.

"Are they okay?"

Cosima puts a palm to her forehead and shakes her head. _Oh, those three,_ she thinks.

Well, it really is just Sarah and Felix, but she guesses S is somehow caught up in it as well, given the encounter at the staircase. She tries to come up with the best answer for Delphine.

"As you've probably observed, they're just naturally a crazy bunch. They're fine."

Delphine chuckles and nods.

"Alright. Let's go."

They both get into the car and close their respective doors. Delphine inserts her keys into the ignition and starts the car.

* * *

They arrive at Cosima's apartment in less than 10 minutes. Cosima unbuckles herself and turns to Delphine with a smile. Delphine automatically smiles back at her.

"So, this is me. Thanks for the ride."

Delphine's hands immediately go to her seatbelt and undo it. She gets the urge to walk Cosima and Pancho to the door. She's not usually the affectionate type, or at least that's what she's known about herself all 30 years of her life, but tonight seems to be an exception. Somehow this woman she's just met inspires her to be more bold and comfortable.

"Oh, uh, I'll walk you to your door!"

Cosima smiles and there are butterflies in her stomach. She nods shyly.

"Okay."

The pet owner gets out of the passenger seat and opens the door to the back to retrieve her pup who was surprisingly behaved and still, just lying down on the backseat.

"Hey, bud. You look awfully comfy there. Come on."

Cosima gestures to Pancho to get down and come to her. The puppy wags his tail and dutifully obeys his human. The pet owner attaches his leash to his collar while Delphine comes around to their side. The two women and pup languidly walk up the door, taking their time. Cosima and Pancho take the last step and get to their door. The pet owner turns around to Delphine, smiling. The French doctor puts her hands in the pockets of her coat. Cosima looks down and back up at Delphine and rocks slightly, back and forth, on her heels. She thinks of anything clever or nice to say to end the wonderful night she's had. She definitely can't just say _peace out_ then walk into her house.

"So…"

Delphine subconsciously bites her lip. Cosima's eyes follow the motion and just absolutely sheds off her last shred of self-control. She steps into the doctor's space. Delphine's eyes follow her the whole time. She tilts her head up and lifts herself up on the tips of her toes and inches her face closer to the French woman's.

Cosima closes the gap completely and presses her lips against Delphine's.

For a moment, warmth covers their bodies. It's both loud, electric fireworks and soft sunshine on their skins. It's infinity captured in milliseconds - the magic of a first kiss and more.

For a moment it felt like the stars aligned and the universe meant for them to be exactly where they are, lips pressed against each other, eyes closed.

For a moment.

And then the moment was _gone_.

Delphine jerks her head back and steps away, speechless, shock painted clearly on her features.

Cosima feels her heart get wrenched violently out of her chest. She feels the weight of regret heavy on her chest and she scrambles for words.

"I… I thought… I'm sorry, Delphine."

Delphine sees the struggle behind Cosima's eyes and immediately feels horrible. She puts her hands up and tries to placate the other woman as best as she could, but she herself was shaken by what had just happened. She was blindsided, caught completely off-guard. She'd never even looked at or considered other women that way.

"It's okay, Cosima. It's okay. I'll uh, just go now."

Delphine touches Cosima's arm in an attempt to really convey her message - that it was okay, things are okay - then turns around. The doctor walks to her car, opens the door, and gets in. She fumbles with her keys, hands trembling, mentally juggling so many emotions that she's never dealt with before.

In Cosima's eyes, Delphine practically ran to her car. The pet owner's heart sinks. Delphine drives off.

 _Well, that was a rejection for the books._

Pancho, with his ability to sense his owner's emotions, paws at his owner's leg and puts his head against it.

The puppy whimpers softly.


	10. The One Where Kira Hates Marmite

**Summary:** Some of Delphine's own personal issues surface after the kiss. Cosima is just as upset. Mrs. S., Sarah, Kira, and Felix are having breakfast when they hear about what happened. Kira dislikes Marmite very much. TW: Panic Attacks

 **Notes:** I enjoyed writing S, Felix, Sarah, and Kira waaay too much. Longer chapter than my usual updates. Apologies for people who are like me and struggle to get through a 3000 word fic because of their short attention spans. I hope you like this one! We explore Delphine's state of mind and at the end, Sarah's. I want to pave the way for what happens next. 'Til next update!

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The One Where Kira Hates Marmite**

Delphine tries not to floor her gas pedal to zoom right to her apartment but she finds it difficult. She keeps reminding herself that she doesn't want to get into any kind of accident in the middle of a quiet and sleeping neighborhood because she can't control this ongoing panic attack. She starts feeling nauseous, like she needs to vomit, but she wills herself to stay awake, alert, and to keep driving under the neighborhood speed limit. Her heart and mind are racing a mile a minute and her breathing comes out quick ragged.

 _Cosima had kissed her._

 _She had kissed back… but only for a moment, only before she realized what was happening._

 _It was simply because of all the wine, right?_

Yes. The wine. And maybe the dim lighting in Siobhan's house. And maybe all the teasing and jokes.

 _Teasing?_

Then the realization dawns upon her; the blushing, the shyness, Sarah and Felix constantly looking her way then giving Cosima a look. Sarah said someone was excited to see her beside Kira and it was her, but she was referring to Cosima wasn't she?

 _Cosima was the one excited to see her._

Wait, maybe she's just overthinking. It's just the panic.

But, if it were true…

 _Frankly, she was excited to see Cosima, too._

Another wave of nausea hits her at that thought. In the midst of the onslaught of emotions, part of the doctor's brain dissociates and starts wondering where all of this was coming from. That part of her starts to detachedly go through every single possibility.

 _Shock?_ Hmm. But why the intensity of this reaction?

 _First time to kiss a woman?_ Sure. But, she's French and this was nothing shocking, even after growing up in a conservative household. She did go to University after all.

 _Homophobia?_ Oh hell, no. No, no, no. She was not at all disgusted by the pass Cosima made at her. If anything, she even welcomed-

Delphine's expression contorts to deer-caught-in-headlights to absolute horror to a shell-shocked eureka look. She went through this in her mind earlier but it only really sunk in now.

 _She welcomed the kiss. She enjoyed the kiss. She even reciprocated that kiss._

And that's what really has her sweating cold and breathing hard in her car; the possibility that she was almost 30 years old and has lived all her life clueless that she was attracted to women also. Something inside of her snaps and it all makes sense - the way her heart broke at 5 years old when the girl she considered her best friend brushed her off, the way she looked at her peers at 12 years old, the way she kept looking at her roommate's body at 19 in Uni, the way she made love to men yet still feel unsatisfied somehow afterwards, and the way she'd been so drawn to Cosima the whole night.

Almost 30 years old - 28, to be exact - and the possibility that Delphine Cormier might at least be bisexual never dawned on her despite the signs until a girl she likes actually kissed her.

 _Likes._

 _Yikes._

Delphine realizes she's gone past two houses from her apartment and puts her car in reverse. She parks in her driveway, pulls up her car's handbrake and shuts off her engine. She stays in her car, however, hands still on the steering wheel and eyes staring blankly ahead of her.

 _She likes Cosima._

Well, not like-like, but attracted to her?

 _Undeniably so._

The doctor tries to even out her breathing, a trick she's learned to do as a pre-teen, whenever her father gave her panic attacks from whatever emotionally-scarring statement he'd say at the dinner tale that night. She breathes in as much air as she can through her nose and rolls the movement to her stomach, making it feel like she's filling her midsection with air, too and not just her lungs, the exhales slowly through her mouth. Her breath comes out a chilly puff. The weather has started to get colder, Delphine notes. She's been to busy to notice it.

 _Like she's been too blind to notice an important part about herself; her sexuality._

The doctor has had many friends of different dispositions on the spectrum of sexuality, and she thinks they'll probably laugh at her and how she's only figured out now and how she's dealing with a panic attack from the discovery. But she thinks her father wasn't her father and she wasn't them - she grew up in a conservative household with a father who wanted her to be nothing more than a housewife because he believes it's the best life for her. She grew up watching only men and women fall in love for each other and wasn't even aware that women loving other women and men loving other men existed until she ran away. She has formative years and her father's shadow to shake off and it seems like in some part of her she hasn't.

 _Maybe she never will._

So, Delphine finally gets out of her car. Her keys jangle in her hand as it trembles. She struggles to open the door and when she finally gets into her apartment, she locks it, and begins shedding off every piece of clothing on her as she makes her way to the bed. First, her scarf, then her coat, then her button-up blouse and the tank top underneath to keep her warm, then she bends down to push off her jeans only to realize she still had her shoes on; so, she pulls off each shoe, lets them drop on the floor, and proceeds to push down her jeans again. She reaches the side of her bed in nothing but her underwear and crawls under her sheets. She buries herself under the layers of blankets and the thick comforter and curls up in a fetal position on her side. Her mind goes to Cosima and she realizes that in all of her panic and her mid-life identity crisis, she forgot how she left Cosima at her front door, probably bewildered and feeling so rejected by her reaction.

 _Oh no._

She considers calling the pet owner and reaches for her phone, only to realize she doesn't have the woman's number, yet.

 _Ugh. Stupid._

She thinks of driving back to Cosima's house but her body feels heavy - she's not in a condition to drive.

So what else is there to do?

 _Nothing. Sleep, maybe._

Delphine closes her eyes but an hour passes and sleep doesn't come. Her thoughts are on loop; Cosima, the kiss, their conversations on the couch, how much fun she had, how she's attracted to Cosima, how she was attracted to all those girls before but just didn't realize it, her conservative father, her abusive aunt, her quiet mother, the brothers and sisters who were strangers to her, her childhood.

Delphine turns around and feels around her bed for the remote to the tv across her bed. Her hand then goes to her nightstand and finds it there. A blue light illuminates her surroundings as she turns on the television. She flips through all the channels and stops at National Geographic. A herd of lions are lazing in the African Savannah. The doctor settles in, pushing her blankets up to her chin.

Maybe in the morning she'll make things right.

But for now, there's a long sleepless night ahead.

* * *

Pancho looks out of the window and at the bright shining light in the sky. He looks at his human sprawled on her bed, still snoozing. He tilts his head. This isn't right, he thinks. Cosima always wakes up early even after a late night to feed her pup and check if he needs to do his business outside. He has his litter box but still, Macho Pancho likes marking his territory outside too, you know.

So, Pancho decides to take matters into his own paws. The puppy walks over to the side of his playpen nearest Cosima's bed. He stands on his hind legs and holds himself up against his pen with his front paws. He wags his tail and gets ready to give this his best shot. Pancho barks out at his human, telling her to get the hell out of bed and get started with her day. The barks get louder and louder until Cosima jolts up with a snort, awoken by her pup's valiant efforts. Pancho sees his human move and wags his tail in excitement, probably also as a pat to himself on the back for a job well done.

Cosima rolls over to lie down on her stomach. Rolling papers were scattered on her bed along with the ziplocks of different strains of cannabis and an ashtray. She'd smoked herself up to sleep last night, upset from what happened between her and Delphine.

Pancho's tail stops wagging as he sees his human lay still on the bed again. The puppy feels frustrated and starts a round of barking once again. The noise gets louder and louder til Cosima's ears start to feel assaulted. The pet owner stirs awake, realizes it's Pancho's impatient barking, and struggles to pry her eyelids open. The bright early morning sunshine blinds her and she holds her hand out in front of her eyes to shield them. She opens her mouth to let Pancho know that she's awake and she's coming, but her throat is dry from the joints last night and she lets out a cough instead.

Pancho thankfully quiets down at the sound, anyway.

For a minute Cosima thinks it's awesome one can never get hangovers from pot because this morning would definitely be a hundred times worse with a hangover. She crawls out of bed like a zombie and her ashtray topples over from the rustling of her sheets and all the cannabis ash spills onto her sheets. Cosima face palms and growls out curse words. Her puppy just tilts his head, now waiting patiently for his owner.

Cosima manages out a few scratchy words as she finally gets up.

"Okay, baby boy... Coming… Water first."

She decides she'll clean the ash and change her sheets later. She groggedly heads to her kitchen, gets a glass and fills it with water. She doesn't realize how thirsty she is until her first gulp, so she drinks another glass. It's then that last night's events catch up with her brain again and she puts the glass down in the sink with a heavy clack. She then moves to grab an over-sized and cozy sweater and put it on over her sleep shirt and doesn't bother putting on a bra. She also doesn't even check to see if she broke the glass or anything.

Cosima grabs Pancho's leash and the puppy jumps in excitement. But, he sees his owner's demeanor and recognizes that she's not having a good day, so being the best boy that he is, he tones down his excitement to tail-wagging. His owner smiles at him.

"Okay, baby boy. Let's go get your pee on."

Cosima attaches the leash to his collar and opens the playpen to let Pancho out. She sniffs her sweater and realizes it smells like weed, probably from her solo sesh last night.

 _Well, what's new?_

She shrugs and grabs her phone. She's going to call Sarah or Felix because she knows they're dying for an update. She also needs someone to talk to really bad, and for all their crazy, Sarah and Felix were good listeners when Cosima needs them to be. Or, well… they try. But that's good enough for the pet owner.

Cosima follows Pancho to the door and opens it for the both of them.

* * *

"What do you want for breakfast, huh, Monkey?"

Sarah slowly makes her way down the stairs, carrying her daughter who was wrapped snug around her mother. Kira sleepily nuzzles Sarah's neck and whispers _"waffles… maple syrup"_ so quietly, her mother almost missed it. Sarah chuckles.

"Waffles, eh? Don't want any Marmite and toast?"

The suggestion almost seemed to zap the child awake. She leans back and scrunches her face in disgust, tongue sticking out.

"Ew, mum."

Sarah laughs. She knew full well that her daughter hated Marmite. Yep, Kira definitely grew up in Canada and not Brixton.

"Okay. Waffles with maple syrup it is, love."

Kira nods and feels assured enough to rest her little head on mummy's shoulder again. Sarah places a kiss on the side of her daughter's head then just loving buries her face in the soft curly hair. She has absolutely no idea but Kira still smells like a newly-bathed baby even at 9 years old.

The mother and daughter get to the kitchen and they find Siobhan sipping her tea with toast, waffles, bacon, eggs, milk, and orange juice ready with plates, utensils, and glasses, perfectly laid out on the table, waiting for the residents of the house to enjoy them. It was a truly beautiful sight. S doesn't usually go all out like this unless they're having a family meal. Sarah raises both eyebrows and nods in appreciation.

"Wow, mum."

Kira takes a peep and immediately lightens up with a grin, all traces of sleepiness vanishing away.

Siobhan simply raises an eyebrow and tilts her head, as if to say, do you expect any less from me? The matriarch gestures to the food and the seats. Sarah sets Kira into a chair and plops herself down beside

"Dig in. Felix is coming down in a few minutes. He made a coffee run since he's the only one in this house who drinks that for breakfast."

And right on cue, their favorite male comes in the front door carrying a venti-sized cup of coffee and wearing sunglasses.

"Well, hello, women of my life. Ooh, that smells delish."

He takes his coat off and hangs it on one of the hooks beside the stairs. He strides to the dining table and immediately sits himself beside his mother.

"Dig in, love."

Felix sets his coffee and removes his sunglasses. He grabs a piece of toast and takes a big crunchy bite. His sister finishes dousing Kira's waffles in syrup to the extreme delight of his niece.

He turns to his mother, but pretends to sneak a look at his niece who definitely catches it.

"Mum, where's the Marmite?"

Kira immediately reacts and goes "blech."

The adults laugh at their favorite monkey. Kira's repulsion to Marmite was no secret and they frequently tease her about it.

Just then, Felix's phone rings and vibrates in his pocket. He pulls it out with a little struggle because of how tight his pants are. He specifically wore them because he knew the hot barista at the coffee shop works mornings and he wanted to work the pants' charm. He sees Cosima's name as the caller ID and immediately waves it in Sarah's face.

"It's Cos!"

Sarah's eyes widen in excitement. Siobhan leans forward, a little bit, also definitely interested to hear what Cosima has to say.

"Answer it, dumdum!"

Felix swipes at the green phone icon and the call duration starts counting the seconds. He puts it on speaker phone so the other can hear it, too. Cosima's voice comes through the speaker.

" _Hello…?"_

Sarah leans forward and speaks.

"Cos, you're on speaker phone. We're all here. Kira, too. What's up?"

" _Hey, monkey."_

Kira giggles from behind the huge chunk of waffles she's currently holding up to her mouth with a fork.

"Hey, Aunt Cosima."

Cosima addresses Sarah this time.

" _Sarah, I called your phone two times. You weren't picking up."_

"Oh, shite, sorry, Cos. I must've left it in the room when I picked Kira up."

" _It's fine."_

Felix decides he can't wait any longer. Besides, it's his phone, too, so he goes and asks the question they all have in their minds directly.

"So, you headed home with the willowy French blonde… How'd it go?"

Cosima sighed.

" _We kissed-"_

Felix stretched her hand out to his sister in lightning speed with his palms facing upward, mouthing "five dollars". Sarah scrunched her face up and threw her hands in the air at her brother.

" _\- then she jerked away from me and said 'sorry' and basically ran to her car in disgust and fast and furious'ed away from my apartment."_

Felix deflated like a helium balloon. Sarah immediately turned to the phone with looks of worry. Mrs. S. eyebrows knit together, deep concern evident on her face. Even Kira's waffle froze in mid-air and she had to let the fork down.

Cosima sounded hurt and insecure. Felix looked at Sarah as if to day, keep your $5 because this isn't worth celebrating. Mrs. S. leaned forward to make sure the woman on the other end of the line hears what she has to say.

"I'm sorry that happened, love. I thought it was going so well. We all did. We saw the signs and she definitely seemed to like you, too."

" _I thought she was into it, too… I guess I was wrong."_

"Do you want to come over for breakfast? Felix can make a coffee run for you."

Felix nods at his mom and cuts in.

"I wouldn't mind. The barista is cute."

They hear Cosima sigh. Any other day she would have laughed at Felix's thing for baristas and bartenders.

" _Maybe another day. I have a paper to work on."_

Sarah cuts in.

"Okay, Cos. Call me any time. I'll keep my phone close this time."

" _Yeah. Okay."_

Cosima hangs up and they hear the beep signalling the line is cut.

Sarah looks at Siobhan then Felix.

"Okay, am I the only one who thinks blondie led her on?"

Felix tilts his head.

"It's possible..."

Siobhan, knowing her kids well, is certain that Sarah is going to inevitably bring herself to hate Delphine. Sarah may be a pain in the ass but, like her, gets very protective of her family. In Sarah's mind, Delphine can turn into a sick sadistic bitch or twisted into that straight girl who played with her sister's feelings, even if it was just one night and an outright rejection right after the first kiss. How it escalates to that in Sarah's mind is a mystery to her, but definitely something she may have been guilty of, too, so Siobhan understands her daughter still. However, the matriarch has seen her daughter's protective streak when this happened with Cosima's ex. Emi broke Cosima' heart so badly and made Sarah hellbent on revenge. It got ugly, to say the least.

Siobhan decides to nip it in the bud, before it escalates.

"I think there's more to it than that, Sarah. Let's not jump to conclusions. Delphine was clearly into her. For all we know, it could've been personal and not at all about Cosima."

Sarah looks down and clenches her jaw. Her mom was right.

Kira suddenly pipes up, surprising the three adults.

"I think Dr. Delphine likes Auntie Cosima very much."

Felix smiles at his niece. _A very smart and insightful kid, this one_ , he thinks.

"Yeah, monkey?"

Kira nods.

"I think she just doesn't know she likes girls. But, that's okay. Auntie Cosima's nice. It'll be okay. You'll see."

The three adults look at each other then to Kira. Somehow, the child's words felt true and it put them all at ease.

"Mum, can I have another waffle?"

The three adults laughed. Sarah nodded, forking a waffle and setting it on Kira's plate.

"Here you go. You're smart, monkey, you know that?"

Sarah kisses the top of her daughter's head and Kira giggles. Mrs. S. and Felix smile at the two.

"I know I am!"


End file.
